At first, let mi stop you right there - yes, I know it does looks like another one of those troll / flame / lame topics, that we are gonna be so disgusted of soon. I`m something different.

Originaly, I wanted to buy Mininova right away. It sounds nice to me, it has vocal tune and arp control and it looks cool. I owned Microkorg XL, didn`t really liked it. And I never payed any attention to old Microkorg until now. Watched some demos on youtube and it looks okay. To my ear sounds even better than XL. So before I`ll buy my synth, there`s two questions I need to ask. So here goes:

1. I know, that those two are different synth engines, but does old microkorg have anything in advance, comparing to mininova (ultranova)? I`d like to have at least some kind of piano-ish patch on my synth and I found few YT videos showing how to make piano patch on microkorg. And the sound is okay enough for my ear. But so far, I`m not sure if I`m gonna be able to do something similiar on mininova. Here`s the video: Microkorg Piano patch tutorial - YouTube (he`s playing piano around 6:00)

2. On wihich of those two would be easier to get basics of synthesis? I know that mininova is just few hands on controls and every editing needs to be done in menus or in computer. Is microkorg significantly easier or better for synthesis learning? (the subquestion pops in mind - which small, 3-4 octaves synth is easiest to learn synthesis on?)

to address the basics... I also like the sound of the original MicroKorg more than the newer XL version. The original is a repackaged MS2000, while the XL is based on the Radias. That is to say that you aren't going to get a passable piano out of the original MicroKorg, plus it's limited to four voices but, when it comes to learning subtractive synthesis it is great. the matrix layout puts everything in front of you leaving nothing buried in menus.

as for the MiniNova, I really can't be bothered. If Novation hadn't blatantly copied Korg with their design I would be more inclined to give it some consideration but to me this sort of imitation doesn't speak well of the company and I've also just never cared much for anything they do.

i still think the better alternative at that size/price is the Alesis/Akai- Micron/MiniAK ...but enough has been written comparing the MicroKorg and Micron over the years that it isn't worth revisiting and I'll just leave it at both are great synths

I'm not sure about acoustic pianos, but there are some samples in the Ultranova, should be on Mininova too as they have same engines. Some Rhodes and vibes at lsast. I can check if there are piano samples too.

The XL plus does have extra sampled piano sounds I think. The plain XL has a rave/house piano preset that sounds just like a crappy sample of an M1, I do like that. The MicroStation seems good for rompler sounds.

thanks for replies.
XL is no go for me, i had it and didn`t liked it at all. XL+ is same thing with few more sounds, so i`ll pass.

minibrute and mopho are monophonic and 2 or 2and1/2 octaves are not enough. and about gaia - i`ve tried it for a while in music store and i think it sucks. it`s just too plastic and sound is not good to my ears. don`t know why.

so it`s still microkorg or mininova. leaning towards mininova, cuz it`s newer and has better vocoder.

major selling/non selling point on the ultranova is the dubstep genre dial option!...hope that we can still buy tippex to cover that up!

so far the ultranova presets i heard demo'd on sonicstate's 2nd video remind me of a broken food mixer!.. completely non musical but that's "presets" created for the dubstep buyers i'm guessing not me...i'm too old to get into black and decker drill mixes!..prefer synth sounds!

your mileage may vary quite a bit!

if the vocoder is the main thing then the mininova and xl+ both have good vocoders the microkorg is still the same spec from 10 years ago even though it's in a new case.

And MS2000 is old school, out dated and looks like crap
But sometime I`m definitely going at least try the old microkorg. After all - it`s legend.

Careful, sir - a word of caution. And yes, this is my first post - had to reply when I saw this. Quick backstory:

Years ago I picked up the microKORG XL because of its portability and versatility; every sound from every genre I needed for shows is on there. And when I heard the XL+ was coming out with different sounds, I actually downloaded both manuals to see what sounds were being omitted and added on the XL+. To my surprise, a lot of sounds I don't regularly use/like on the XL are being omitted, and since the new piano sound is gong to be even better, I am getting the XL+. I still don't like the fact that there isn't a pedal input (not being able to sustain a piano pisses me off) or regular sized keys, but, I digress.

Now, before I made the purchase, I did check out the Mini and Ultranovas. Here's the thing: I had never played either before and was intrigued with them at first because the demos sounded great and they looked solid.

However, to MY ears - and I did WANT to like these synths - the presets were completely uninspiring, were definitely not versatile enough for my needs, and the pianos sounded HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE.

So, while there are definitely EPs and such on the mininova, that doesn't mean you'll be satisfied, sir.

login - as far as i know - mininova is marketed more for gigs and few easy hands on controls. it must have had much more knobs to be marketed for sound desing.

Jose Aldo Nova - thank you for your reply. i actually had microkorg XL myself and didn`t liked it at all. especially for crappy arpeggiator, unlogic menu structure and badly readable font on display. and about piano sounds - i don`t really care about them that much. it`s not my priority. average pianoish sounds would be okay.

login - as far as i know - mininova is marketed more for gigs and few easy hands on controls. it must have had much more knobs to be marketed for sound desing.

Jose Aldo Nova - thank you for your reply. i actually had microkorg XL myself and didn`t liked it at all. especially for crappy arpeggiator, unlogic menu structure and badly readable font on display. and about piano sounds - i don`t really care about them that much. it`s not my priority. average pianoish sounds would be okay.

Gotcha! Yes, I saw you owned (and didn't like) the microKORG XL; lost sight of that after the piano comment. If "average pianoish" sounds are what you need, then either nova should do the trick. But - if you haven't already - definitely try the novas out. I was just thoroughly unimpressed with them both, but you and I may be using them for different purposes!

well - it`s not that i need those pianos. i`d like to have them.
what i need (and the main reason i`ll probably finish buying minonova) is good control over arpegios, easy accesible basic modulation and external audio (voice) processing through FX.

well - it`s not that i need those pianos. i`d like to have them.
what i need (and the main reason i`ll probably finish buying minonova) is good control over arpegios, easy accesible basic modulation and external audio (voice) processing through FX.

Yeah, then go with the Nova. From what I can tell, those numbered buttons work REALLY well with the arps, and that filter knob seems pretty inviting Good luck! (and just try it out! lol)

I wanted something that would be a bit of fun and take me back to the good old analogue synths of the 80s. Heck, I used to own an EDP Gnat that was stolen from the back of my Austin 1100. So I had a look on YouTube and was quite taken by the microkorg. Then I also spotted the mini nova - which a pal of mine suggested. I spent about 2 hours in my local music shop trying them out. And you know, the mini nova was so much more flexible, user friendly, nice display etc, but... It just didn't have the fat filters and gutsy sound of the microkorg. Seriously no comparison. Don't get me wrong, novation is a perfickly good synth, just not what i was after in terms of sound. Fell in love with the korg. Girlfriend bought it for me for Christmas (lucky me!) but I don't get to use it until Christmas day (boo!). So I have bought a monotron delay to keep me going- waiting for it to be delivered.